Hu Xiaotian had done Xue Daoming an enormous favor. Ever since ascending the throne, Xue Daoming had lived under coercion. Now, at last, he could walk openly out of the palace gates and do things he had always wanted to do but had never dared.
It had to be admitted that Xue Daoming possessed considerable courage. Not only did he dare leave the palace, he personally visited the homes of infected ministers one by one, offering comfort and bringing imperial physicians to diagnose and treat them. He also went among the common people to console them in person. For the sovereign of a nation to show such understanding of his subjects' suffering was, in most people's eyes, truly commendable.
At first, Li Chenzhou had regarded Xue Daoming's actions as playing to the crowd and courting death. Yet events did not unfold as he had expected. Conditions in the Yong Capital were improving, and the epidemic was rapidly being brought under control. Li Chenzhou began to sense that there was more to this affair. He even suspected that it was not plague at all, but merely a panic manufactured by the Black Hu People.
What troubled Li Chenzhou most was that, in such a short time, Xue Daoming had gained unprecedented support. His benevolent deeds had successfully won people's hearts. Not only the common people, but even many ministers at court had quietly changed their tune and, in their hearts, sided with the new sovereign.
In truth, most ministers at court dared feel anger toward Li Chenzhou but dared not voice it, and they carried a sense of guilt toward the Great Yong Imperial House. This time, Xue Daoming had stepped forward and saved many people. Human hearts were made of flesh, after all, and his actions left many officials deeply